Ventilator.



R. T. GREENE.

VBNTILATOR.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 14,1913.

1,129,482. Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

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THE NORRIS PETERS 50.. FHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGI'UN, D.

R. T. GREENE.

VBNTILATOR'.

APPLICATION FILED APR.14.1913. 1,1 29,482. Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

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WHOM/EV THE NORRIS PETERS CO PHOTO-LITHO., WAaHiF GI'UN. D. c.

RICHARD T. GREENE, OF NEW YORK, N'. Y.

vnnrrnn'ron.

Specification of Letters latent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

Application filed April 14, 1913. Serial No. 761,003.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD T. GREENE, a citizen of the United States of America, and residing at 544: West One Hundred and Fourteenth street, borough of Manhattan, city of New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented new and useful Improvements in Ventilation, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates particularly to a system of ventilating rooms and is particularly applicable to railway cars.

The object of my invention is to accom plish the ventilation of a room or chamber without the creation of any drafts.

A special object is to provide a satisfactory method of ventilating swiftly moving conveyances such as high speed railway cars. The difliculties of ventilating high speed trains are wellknown. On account of the excessive rate of travel any air which is allowed to enter the train by ordinary methods enters with such a rush as to render it altogether objectionable. As a result most fast trains are kept tightly closed, it being considered preferable to do without fresh air rather than suffer the inconveniences occasioned by letting in the air in the form of such a blast or draft. I am able to overcome these diiiiculties and objections by my invention by periodically introducing the fresh air into the chamber in the form of relatively still charges of air and while doing this maintaining at all times separation between the inside and the outside of the chamber. My invention accordingly resides in the provision of means for intermittently introducing or depositing a charge of fresh air within a chamber while preventing direct communication between the outside air and the inside of the chamber. In the forms of the invention herein illustrated such means takes the form of an air receptacle arranged within an opening in the wall of the chamber so as to at all times form a closure thereto and pivoted so that it may be caused to travel from a position communieating with the outside air to a position communicating with the inside of the chamber. Suitable motive power is employed for operating the ventilator and where there are a number of the ventilators provision is preferably made for controlling the ventilators individually. Also provision may be made for controlling the speed of movement of the Various other features of the invention will appear as the specification proceeds. Theaccompanying drawings illustrate the inventlon in two different embodiments but I would have it understood that the inven tion is by no means restricted to the particular forms hereln disclosed, these serving merely as illustrating practical ways 'in which the invention may be carried out.

Figure 1, is a broken longitudinal sectional view showing a railway car equipped with my invention. Fig. 2, is a vertical transverse sectional view of the same taken substantially on the plane of the line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3, is an enlarged cross sectional view of the ventilator as mounted in the wall of the car. Fig. 4, is an enlarged sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 4.: of Fig. 1, showing a form of operating and controlling mecha nism which may be employed in this particular form of the invention. Fig. 5, is another sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 55 of Fig. 4. Fig. 6, is a cross sectional view illustrating a modified form of the invention. Fig. 7 is a sectional View similar to Fig. l showing a form of gearing and controlling mechanism which may be used with the form of the invention shown in Fig. 6. Fig. 8, is a sectional view taken substantially on the plane of the line 88 of Fig. 7.

The drawings illustrate the invention as applied to the ventilation of a railway car, the numeral 10 being used to designate the floor and 11 the side wall of an ordinary passenger coach.

12 designates the ventilators, which are mounted in openings 13 in the wall of the car and are each provided with an air pocket 14. The ventilators are operated to effect the exchange of air between the outside and the inside of the car chamber in any suitable manner. In the present instance, they are pivotally supported and are operated about their pivotal centers to carry the air pockets alternately into communication with the interior and the exterior of the car. In one form this interchange of air is effected by giving the ventilator an oscillating or swinging movement about its center of pivotal support and in the other form the ventilator is given a complete rotary movement.

In the form illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, the pivotal support for the ventilator is shown as a rock shaft journaled in bearings 16 carried by the walls 17 which form the ends of the opening 13 in which the ventilator is mounted. This rock shaft is utilized also for imparting the swinging movement to the ventilator, it being for that purpose provided with a rocker arm 18 on one end. The ventilator in this form is made up of two radially disposed blades 19 and 20 carried by the rock shaft and spaced apart to provide a segmental air pocket therebetween. These blades are of the same radial length and cooperate at their lower edges with an arcuate guard 21. The edges of the blades may be faced with felt as indicated at 22 so as to provide a close joint with the guard. The angular disposition of the blades, the length of the arcuate guard and the movement imparted to the ventilator are all so related that the ventilator will at all times serve as a closure to prevent direct communication between opposite sides of the wall. Thus either one or both of the blades will always be in engagement with the guard which forms the curved lower wall of the opening. The ends of the ventilator blades may also be faced with felt or like material as indicated at 23. The wall 24 which forms the top of the opening in which the ventilator is mounted is shown recessed to receive the upper cylindrical extension 24 of the blades to thereby form a close joint at the upper edge of the opening 13. The surface of this top wall may be disposed on radial lines in respect to the rock shaft, substantially as indicated at 25 so as to serve as stops for limiting the swinging movement of the ventilator in each direction.

The power for operating the ventilators is provided in the present instance by an electric motor 26 and the driving connections made with the difierent ventilators are such that the ventilators may be controlled independently of each other. For this purpose there is provided a counter-shaft 27 driven direct from the motor and clutching devices at each ventilator for coupling and uncoupling the ventilator to and from the common drive shaft. In the case illustrated the drive from the motor to the counter-shaft is effected through pinion 28 on the motor shaft, reduction gear 29, sprocket 30 carried by the reduction gear, sprocket chain 31 and sprocket 32 on the counter-shaft. The sprocket chain is preferably of the so-called silent type and this gearing may be proportioned to accomplish the proper reduction of speed between the motor shaft and counter-shaft. From the counter-shaft motion is imparted to the ventilator through the medium of pinion 33 on the counter-shaft, an intermediate gear 34 and a crank gear 35, this latter gear carrying a crank 36 which is connected to the rocker arm 18 of the ventilator by a link 37. The individual control is secured by shifting the intermediate gear 34 into and out of mesh with the crank gear, it being for that purpose journaled in a bracket 38, mounted to rock on the counter-shaft. The throw of the crank 36 is so related to the rocker arm 18 that the rotary movement of the crank will serve to impart the requisite swinging movement to the ventilator. A means for operating the controlling mechanism is illustrated in the form of a handle 38 carried on a spindle 39, journaled in a wall plate 40, this spindle carrying a cam 41 on its inner end acting against a roller 42 on the lower end of rod 43, which rod is connected at its upper end at 44 with the shiftable bracket 38. The cam is made with a low portion 45 and a high portion 46. Figs. 4 and 5 show the cam with the low portion engaged under the roller 42. The rod is then in its lowered position, the bracket 38 being tilted so as to place the gears in mesh. When the handle is turned to the off position, toward the left, in Figs. 1 and 5, the high portion of the cam will be carried under the roller 42, thus lifting the rod 43 and throwing the gears out of mesh. A spring or equivalent means may be provided for urging the bracket to the gear-meshing position, such a spring being L shown at 47, coiled about the upright rod, acting against a fixed abutment 48 at one end and against an abutment 49 on the rod at its opposite end.

Preferably some means are provided for securing the ventilator against movement when unclutched from its driving means. In this connection it is desirable also that the ventilators when rendered inoperative should all occupy the same relative position, so as to present a uniform appearance. I have disclosed means for accomplishing such purposes in the shape of a tooth or lug 50 carried by the gear bracket 38 and arranged to have a bearing against a ring 51 on the crank gear, this ring having a gap 52 at one point in it to receive the lug 50. So long as the tooth on the bracket bears against the periphery of the ring, the ring serves as an abutment to prevent shifting of the bracket, but when the gap in the ring comes into register with the tooth, the tooth may slip into the gap and thereby permit an unineshing movement of the gear bracket. This at the same time provides a positive lock for securing the ventilator in a fixed position. When the gap in the ring is about in the position shown in Fig. 4, the ventilator will occupy the dotted line position in Fig. 3, so that as the ring travels to a point where the ventilator into the chamber.

the tooth will interlock with the gap, the ventilator will have reached the full line position in Fig. 3, at which time both ventilator blades will be acting as closures. It is preferred to stop the ventilator in this position because at this time it does not protrude at either side and the opening is sealed by both the blades. In order that the party control ling the ventilator need not hold the handle until the tooth interlocks with the gap in the ring, I have provided means whereby the handle may be turned regardless of the position of the ring and that thereafter the bracket will be automatically shifted when the ring has turned to a position where the tooth will interlock therewith. The means illustrated for this purpose takes the form of a spring 53 connected at one end 54 with the handle spindle 39 and at its opposite end 55 with the rod lifting cam L1. The handle may be provided with a spring pressed looking pin 56 for holding it in either the on or off position. By this means the handle may be turned to the off position and locked there, regardless of the position of the gapped ring. If the gap is out of register with the locking tooth, the spring 53 will simply store up energy and then when the gap comes around into register with the locking tooth, this spring will turn the cam and thereby lift the rod, and shift the bracket to throw the gears out of mesh and lock the ventilator.

The operation will be clear from the preceding description. As the ventilator swings outwardly the air pocket therein is brought into communication with the outside air and it therefore receives within it a body of fresh air. As the ventilator swings back this charge of fresh air is entrapped and then carried inward and deposited inside the chamber. The difference in temperature between the inside and outside air is ordinarily suflicient to insure the displacement of the charge of fresh air carried to the inside of the chamber by a body of stale air from within the chamber and the displacement of the stale air carried to the outside by a body of the fresh outside air. This alternate displacement of the stale and fresh charges of air is facilitated in a railway train or other moving vehicle by the movement of the vehicle. One or both ends of the air pocket in the ventilator may for this purposebe left open as shown so that when the ventilator opens outwardly the stale air carried by it will be immediately swept out and be replaced by the fresh air. This same sweeping out action may be secured on the inside of the chamber by providing a fan 57 or other blast producing device arranged to forcibly eject the fresh air from This fan may as shown be mounted on the shaft of the motor which drives the ventilators. The

crank motion employed in this first form of the invention is of special utility in that it provides a dwell at the end of each inward and outward stroke of the ventilator allowing a slight interval of time for the interchange of the different bodies of air, and the intermediate movement of conveying the charge of air to the inside or outside is relatively quick.

The entry of dust and cinders may be pre vented by covering the opening in which the ventilator operates with a suitable screen 58. The exclusion of dust, moisture, etc., may be further facilitated by causing the blades of the ventilator to sweep the dust or moisture to the outside. This is provided for in the present instance by lengthening the curved guard on the inside of the chamber, as indicated at 59 so that the outer blade 20 will never clear the edge of the guard, and by widening the contact surface of the inner blade 19 so that in its outward movement it will project just far enough past the outer edge of the guard to sweep off any dust, etc., that may have settled on the guard. By this means the inner blade sweeps the dust, etc., before it to the outside and the extension of the guard prevents the outer blade from carrying any dust to the inside of the chamber. By controlling the different ventilators separately and independently of each other different portions of the chamber may be ventilated to different degrees or the whole chamber may be ventilated equally throughout. In this way it is possible to control the extent of ventilation. The rate of ventilation may also be controlled, as by varying the speed of operation of the ventilators. This may conveniently be accomplished by governing the speed of the motor, a rheostat 60, being here employed for this purpose.

In the form of the invention illustrated in Figs. 6, 7 and 8 the ventilator is given a complete rotary movement and it is in this case provided with a plurality of air pock-' ets formed between the radially extending blades 61 mounted on the rotary supporting shaft 62. In this case I provide curved guards 63 and 64: at both the top and the bottom to be engaged by the ventilator blades. The blades may be braced apart at their ends by the connecting webs 65, which are, as shown, preferably cut away as indicated at 66 so as not to interfere with the free sweep of air into the pockets. The

terms employed in the claims are terms of description rather than of limitation except so far as may be required by the prior art.

What I claim is l. The combination with a chamber provided with a ventilating opening in the wall thereof, of an air interchanging device pivoted to swing in the opening and having radially disposed blades forming an air pocket between them, an arcuate guard at one edge of the ventilating opening arranged to be engaged by the radial blade and operating means for swinging the air interchanging device about its center of pivotal support to carry the air pocket between the blades alternately into communication with the air on the inside and outside the chamber, said means operating to swing the air interchanging device outward, a distance sufiicient to cause the inner blade of the device to sweep before it any accumulation on the arcuate guard out over the outside edge of said guard and to swing the air interchanging device inward. a distance suflicient to cause the outside blade to terminate its inward stroke at a point short of the inner edge of the guard whereby to prevent said outer blade sweeping any possible accumulation on the guard into the chamber.

2-. In a moving vehicle, a movable air interchanging device arranged in a wall of the vehicle with both ends adapted to be periodically opened in the direction of movement of the vehicle and means for operating said device to automatically ex change limited quantities of air from one side of said wall to the other.

3. In combination with a chamber to be ventilated, a container adapted to carry a charge of fresh air from a point without to a point within the chamber and means for discharging the charge of fresh air from the container into the chamber.

4C. In combination with a chamber to be ventilated, a container adapted to carry a charge of fresh air from a point without to apoint within the'chamber and means ar ranged to direct a blast of air into the container when within the chamber to thereby discharge the charge of fresh air carried by the container into the chamber.

5. In combination with a chamber to be ventilated, a container adapted to carry a charge of fresh air from a point without to a point within the chamber, a motor for opcrating said container, and a fan operated by said motor arranged to direct a blast of air into the container.

6. In combination with a chamber to be ventilated, a plurality of ventilators provided each with an air pocket and pivoted to travel from a point with the air pocket communicating with the outside air to a point with the air pocket communicating with the inside of the chamber, a motor, a driving shaft operated thereby, a rocker arm carried by each ventilator, a crank gear connected with each rocker arm for operat ing the same, gearing from the driving shaft to the crank gear, and means controlling the driving gearing of the different ventilators.

7. In combination with a chamber to be ventilated, a ventilator mounted in the wall of the chamber and adapted when operated to exchange limited quantities of air between opposite sides of the wall, a power device for operating the ventilator, driving gearing between the power device and the ventilator, means for uncoupling said gearing to render the ventilator inoperative and means for preventing uncoupling of the gearing arranged to permit the uncoupling action only when the ventilator occupies a predetermined position.

8. In combination with a chamber to be ventilated, a ventilator mounted in the wall of the chamber and adapted when operated to exchange limited quantities of air between opposite sides of the wall, a power device for operating the ventilator, driving gearing between the power device and the ventilator, means for uncoupling said gearing to render the ventilator inoperative and means for locking the ventilator in fixed position when the driving gearing is uncoupled.

9. In combination with a chamber to be ventilated, a ventilator mounted in the wall of the chamber and adapted when operated to exchange limited quantities of air be tween opposite sides of the wall, a power device for operating the ventilator, driving gearing between the power device and the ventilator, shiftable means for uncoupling the driving gearing, restraining means preventing shifting movement of the uncoupling means arranged to permit such movement only when the gearing has carried the ventilator to a predetermined position, a controller for operating the uncoupling means and yieldable connections from said controller to the uncoupling means arranged to store power when shifting movement of the uncoupling means is prevented by the restraining means whereby to shift the said uncoupling means as soon as permitted by the restraining means aforesaid.

RICHARD T. GREENE.

\Vitnesses:

ISABEL D. WALTON, ISABELLE T. Kon'rz.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

